


Chasing Daylight

by FireworkSandwich



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game), Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Fear, Horror, Identity Reveal?, Minor Relationship Focus, Murder, Non-Graphic Violence, Powerless, Small moments of Adrienette, Supernatural Elements, Survival Horror, These kids are gonna go through so much tourture...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-01 12:46:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8624977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireworkSandwich/pseuds/FireworkSandwich
Summary: "I keep waiting for the time when I wake up in bed, it turns out I slept in too long again, and I grab my bag and hurry off to school like it's another normal day. But each time I wake up, it's to another one of these 'trials' where I run for my life. Even if I am dreaming, this 'Entity' is the one in charge of my dreams, not me." Lost Tapes:Marinette Dupain-ChengParis's two gilded heroes went deep into the woods to chase an akuma down and purify it. After sending the victim on their way, they thought it would simply be another normal ending to an akuma battle. That is until Marinette and Adrien find themselves seperated, de-transformed, and without their kwami's at a clearing with an inextinguishable fire and strange people they don't know. The sun goes down and the moon shows it's light. A deep roar pierces the night sky. Their surroundings changing with each night. And with that, the hunt begins.Miraculous Ladybug/Dead By Daylight - crossover AU





	1. Luck Be A Lady

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! 
> 
> I've recently become a fan of Miraculous Ladybug and really love the characters, the fact that it's a superhero show too was a definite plus. So I've been inspired to make something to add to the fandom. And like the twisted individual I am, I skip straight past writing up a fluffy love square story and go straight to sending these two dorks through evil mystical hell. (What is wrong with me?)
> 
> I've also played alot of Dead by Daylight recently...about a 100 hours worth or so. It's not an obsession, honest, I just really like the backstory that was set up and that they seem to neglect. The whole supernatural force making its victims run deadly games thing is interesting, at least how it's presented. And I guess both source works feature supernatural themes...so they're related a lil bit, right?
> 
> I'm not particularly new to writing fanfics, but this is the first crossover I have done. It'll mainly focus on Marinette and Adrien being thrust into a situation they are not at all equipped to handle, but they will have interactions with the group of survivors from the game. If this isn't your cup of tea, I get it. I myself think this crossover is stupid and doesn't really make sense, then I put it on a word doc and now I'm going to regret posting it. 
> 
> Anyway, enough with the stalling, enjoy the first chapter of 'Chasing Daylight'

_"Of all the unfortunate souls that end up here, there is something inexplicably different about her. She seems to be very recent amongst us. And considering how many times we've passed by, whether I had met my fate during the night's hunt or not, she handles these trials as if she has never experienced death at the hands of our captor. Though she appears shaken, she does not at all act as if her surroundings are anything different compared to whatever semblance of normalcy she held before being caged here. Every time I see our murderous hunters pass, I duck down in reflex and notice her petite frame tucked into a corner not that far away. The heavy, frantic footfalls get louder with every step. The hunter passes my hiding spot, yet her saving grace is nothing more than her form huddled behind a short barrier made of splintered planks in front of her. I see it's imposing mass pass not two feet away from her position. All signs, evidence, and rational thinking point toward her being discovered and snatched away like all the rest, to be hung for another sacrifice to the Entity. And yet, the hunter continues by, as if he didn't notice the girl in the now tattered blazer and the bright pink trousers crouched down right in front of him. Barely giving pause to digest the situation, I see her form dart off in the opposite direction, knowing she has even more borrowed time to live off. I do not know her name, or have any recollection of having spoken to her to try and see how she ended up in this infernal realm alongside us. From what my eyes have seen, luck follows her like a guardian angel or some other supernatural force shielding her from harm. Out of all of us, she is by far the luckiest of any survivor here, and her luck is truly nothing short of miraculous." - Benedict Baker's journal, 1897_

* * *

Marinette was never one to be the overly superstitious type. Even after learning of the existence of millennia old god fairies that grant their master the ability to wield great power. She had her moment of shock and awe, and it never occurred for her to really think about the situation until a few days later when she realized how random it truly was. To live a normal life and then one day have that foundation of normalcy shaken and phenomenally shattered. Magic exists...in some shape or form at the least. Due to the responsibilities that came with being the protector of Paris, it never gave her time to really think of what other unnatural forces exist. Needless to say, she received a reminder of this, a grim and extremely macabre reminder.

Which is how she found herself out in the middle of a forest doubling as an auto wrecker yard. Unscalable walls of smashed car parts and chassis almost fused together, layering the place with labyrinth-like walls. Where she found herself alone with a strange man whom she had no inkling of knowledge about. Usually being out in the middle of the forest with a total stranger would be cause for alarm or end in disaster. In their current surroundings, Marinette found this to be a blessing. Even if she didn't vocalize it. Besides the few people she had seen running around, and knew better to run in the opposite direction from, Marinette found herself with almost no human contact when she found herself cutting through the mist in another dark forest, farm, or oddly enough, an American style suburban block. There were others at the campfire, when she would find herself eventually back at the daylight lit spot that became sanctuary. But the faces would usually only be there once before being replaced by three fresh new ones. She wanted to think her heart didn't slightly break each time she couldn't find the face of another survivor she had remembered, but her heart would never buy it.

Lack of communication aside, her attentions were brought back to the task at hand by the whimper of the man before her. Marinette knew he was trying his absolute best to keep his agony to a low volume, for both of their sakes. The man being well aware that was a near impossibility. The two were not medically trained, however, it didn't take a genius to notice whenever he moved even slightly, a fraction or a hair, the pain that shot through his body made him involuntarily cease up. His only coping mechanism being grunting that temporarily distracted him from the deep red gash in his side. Marinette wasn't sure what could have caused it, considering she had not seen their monstrous killer at all since she woke up in the car graveyard. But looking at it, she could tell it was deep and required immediate attention.

"M-m...M-med-kit." The man managed to stammer out. Part of the reason she had so little contact with the others was due to the language barrier. The 'Entity', what most survivors called the god beast of the sky, and it's realm seemed to attract various people from around the world, sometimes even in different times altogether. French speakers, Marinette found, were very few and far between. Which is why most of the English speakers, if she ran into anyone at all during the trials, were generally hard to deal with. The unfamiliar word made her furrow her eyebrows in confusion. When the man realized she may not have understood, he resorted to non-verbals very quickly, delicately raising his right hand to reveal the red medical tin he held with a white knuckle grip. His meaning was very clearly conveyed now to her.

Gently taking the kit from his hand, she took one look at the vicious gash before trying to think about how she would even begin to tackle in applying aid to the wound. Opening it up, she placed it in front of her, surveying the few resources she had. In a few moments, Marinette realized the kit was something very basic, usually meant for hiking trips or to be kept as a contingency in a car glove box. The limited tools taunted her, but she decided almost immediately she could make due. She **had** to make due. Reaching for some rubbing alcohol, she showed the small bottle to him. His face fell slightly, eyes large and lips sagging with the feeling of dread in knowing how badly the treatment would sting. It was inevitable, and he knew it very well, giving Marinette a decisive nod with implied permission to start treating him.

Placing a knuckle in his mouth, Marinette poured the bottle in uneven intervals across the gash. The man bit down on his fist and let out several grunts as the liquid started to sizzle and crack. When she thought she had applied enough, she capped the bottle and took a quick look behind her shoulder while the last of his grunts faded into a deep whimper. He tried extremely hard to make the process as soundless as possible, but Marinette still had her sneaking anxieties. She ran enough of these death runs to know that their butchers craved the sound of survivors trampling through the woods. Also aware of how especially delighted it made them if it was accompanied by the human cries of prey they had wounded before. When all sound died out, she turned back to check his side. At the very least...it wouldn't get infected.

Looking back to the kit she placed the alcohol back in and made a grab for the too-small roll of gauze. When she had focused her attention back on the guy, she found a bundle of weeds clenched in his hand in front of her face. Confused by the gesture, she tilted her head around the plants and looked him in the eyes. A moment later of mentally kicking himself, he went back to his charades. Mimicking the motion of rubbing and wrapping the herb against the wound. Marinette had no idea how the plant life factored into healing the wound, but she understood enough from his motions to know he wanted it applied to his cut. Taking the fauna out of his hand, she ripped off a few leaves and held those in her fingers like a rag, dabbing at the wound gently and laying leaf strips across the gash.

"D-Dwight. Fairfield."

His voice surprised her. Understanding his new words just a little better than his last phrase. Dwight, she could only assume was his name, seemed to be trying to strike up conversation. Possibly to take his mind off the wound dressing. Part of her logical side told Marinette to probably try quieting him down instead, mainly to avoid noise that would alert any nearby danger to their location and secondly because she probably wouldn't understand his English anyway. But, her emotional side of actually having contact with a normal human being smashed any objections to letting him talk if he wanted. Her logical capacity being mainly focused on dressing the wound while forming an escape plan that involved her and this new person trying to find an exit while avoiding being detected. Besides, he was speaking in a managed tone anyway.

Continuing to dab at the wound, pausing only to break off a pair of fresh leaves from the herb, she let him speak. English-French language barrier be damned.

"Claude...Claudette told me about these plants. How they can be-" Hissing in the middle of his sentence as her hand holding the leaves hit a sensitive area on the wound. He took a moment before recomposing himself.

"T-they help with the wounds...the plants. She knows more about that stuff than I do." Claudette? Probably another survivor he knew. At least she assumed it sounded like a name. She worked in silence and even he stopped trying to make conversation, opting to glance around at their surroundings, in the event that something tried to sneak up on them. Every so often, Dwight would look down at Marinette attending to his wound and redirect her hands to another spot on the cut. Pointing to what she assumed were better spots for the leaves to be applied.

He looked nervous, anxious. As anxious or nervous one can be in the situation of having to run through ungodly dark places with the fear of death chasing you. But Marinette noticed it was more so how he probably looked naturally. Wide eyes behind thick rimmed glasses, she took the time to notice a few more details about him. Mainly the outfit he sported of a plain white business casual button-up with a striped tie and his brown work slacks. Before his new life here, Marinette could only assume he had probably worked at an office or bank of some kind. Somewhere official, devoid of color and stocked with cubicle from wall to wall.

Even more peculiar than that, he had a certain air about him. As he directed her how to better dress his wound based off experience taught by his botanical friend, it seemed he knew how to work with people. That he inspired feelings in others, the same she had whenever akuma attacks occurred and she was tasked with calming those around her as Marinette. Or that she instilled in civilians as her super persona she adopts to fight said akumas. After this, if they decided to stick together for the rest of the trial, she feels like she could follow his advice. Based off his past experiences and the impression he gives off. That of a natural leader created by fear and a sense of desperate unity.

"Alright. Alright. S-should be good now." His words brought Marinette out of her reverie, him rejecting the leaves by gently pushing her hands away. She got the message he was trying to convey, so she set aside the rest of the herbs, going back to the medical kit and collecting her small roll of gauze again. Slightly unrolling it, she placed it against the now less irritated looking side wound and started the process of bandaging him back up. Not the best medical attention he could get, but hopefully enough to last however long the rest of this hunt would be.

"After we get this wrapped up, I should be good. We should find more generators to fix, I don't think I heard the exit gates power up yet."

She understood very little of what he was trying to say, partially from translation, mainly being focused on finishing the care. Marinette was intent on finishing quickly so they could hopefully move away and possibly contribute something to escaping this night alive. Focused entirely on wrapping the last of the gause, her nerves were steeled, unwavering. All it took to be immediately snatched from that, was the clear chime of a bell behind her. Dwight's expression contorting into pure horror at the realization of what the sounds of a bell meant.

_Death approaches._

Marinette's breath hitched. The sudden sound of a violent breeze cemented the uninvited guest's entrance behind her. Still, Marinette threw her head over her right shoulder and saw the motion of a scythe weapon being raised come into focus.

**"GO!"**

The heightened reflexes that being the heroine of Paris afforded her, she had already transferred from her kneeling position into a sprint before even registering Dwight's exclamation. At the same time Dwight yelled out, he put a hand on her back, pushing Marinette forward. Twisting up from him half-laying on the ground, he assumed the same running stance she had.

Unfortunately, the ambush their hunter had set gave them little time to react. Marinette had been safe from the overhead swing of the weapon. But Dwight had not. As his body passed where Marinette had previously been, the scythe found itself lodged right back into his side. The impact of sharpened bone embedding into flesh rang out in the night, brutally ending the former silence.

Marinette felt Dwight's hand leave her back after his push and heard the hit originally meant for her find it's new unintended target. His scream that met her ear sounded muffled and distant with the new burst of adrenaline coupled with the cold fear that dulled her senses and told every fiber of her being to escape. So she ran off into wooded areas, trees and tall grass passing her view as she charged forward, not looking back. Since her time in this place, Marinette noticed the 'monsters' here were just as fast, if not faster, than the survivors they preyed on. But she could outrun them if and when she had a chance. She would not waste the one given to her.

The forest and walls of crushed car parts blended as she kept up her pace. Gauging how far away she had run was impossible, but Marinette didn't stop until she was certain it had been far enough to keep her safe. Despite being nowhere near the place she and Dwight had been, she could swear she heard the sound of metal piercing flesh. Her brief former friend's scream echoing again through the junkyard. Unnaturally louder this time, as if the scream was right there next to her ear. Dwight had been hooked.

Marinette continued to run, feet impacting the ground in a panic driven rhythm. She had no idea of the distance she put between her and the killer, simply running until she no longer had to remember the scream or the sound of a scythe embedding itself into one's skin. Once her mind introduced the thought that maybe she got away, her body became acutely aware of the stress it was being placed under. Marinette's lungs burned with each ragged breath and the muscles in her legs began to grow strained. She followed the advice naturally given to her and started to slow down from her full blown run into a fast walk and eventually a subdued stroll. Stopping next to a large vehicle tread, meant for something like a bulldozer, she placed her back against the odd shape of the metal and collapsed into a sitting position.

Marinette did not fatigue easily. Part of her athleticism actually factored into her performance as her alter ego. When she transformed, Tikki's magic and the miraculous did augment her strength and speed to superhuman levels, yes. But by no means was she a pushover while not transformed. She didn't play any sports recreationally, nor did she belong to any club sports at her school. But she was athletic enough to a point that fell somewhere underneath the tireless energy of Kim and Alix. Considering she was also petite and small (Barring any objections that she was still growing when her height was brought into question.) it helped.

Ever since she got trapped here and was forced to learn it was a mystical game of deathly hide and seek, she had done nothing but run. Still, she found it hard not to get used to exhausting herself all the time. Chase after chase would slowly wear her down to the point where she'd double over and have to rest for a few moments after evading the monsters chasing her. She was sure some of the others were the same way. Not to imply they weren't physically fit enough to run and evade capture. But most of their hunters were agile, betraying their imposing physical forms that towered over the average person. If a fast person like her was having trouble getting away every time, she could only imagine the trouble other less fit individuals had.

Cat and mouse. What she wouldn't give for her miraculous back with her yo-yo. At least she'd have some way to fight off their murderous stalkers.

 _Cat_.

Marinette's thoughts would often drift back to Paris, whether she was feeling hopeless and needed a reason to continue on or she just needed to shut her mind off. Any concept of time she previously knew got thrown out the window when she came to this place, wherever 'this' was. During the day, she and the other survivors sat around the bonfire, a break from the chaos. At night, they did nothing but run. It felt like days of this cycle, but for all she knew, it was either minutes in Paris or possibly months.

Her thoughts went back to her family, Alya and Nino, everybody from her class. There are also two that she thought of the most that play a major role in her life. She thought a lot about her partner, that silly, pun-loving black cat that took up arms with her on a daily basis to protect Paris. With her stuck here, her imagination run rampant on how Hawkmoth could take advantage of her absence, if he were to find out. She also knew Chat would be absolutely crushed if he discovered his lady had been missing for an entire week without notice. Even a few days might be enough to set off her smitten companion. Marinette didn't want the burden of protecting an entire city to fall on the shoulders of Chat. Though he was a handful at times, they were a team, and separating them would be devastating. They might as well just serve the key to Paris on a silver platter for Hawkmoth while they were at it.

To distract herself from that wicked thought, she focused on Chat instead. Recalling the nights on rooftops of them patrolling, their back-and-forth banter, their laughter. Even remembering one of his worst puns being enough to put a smile back on her stressed face. If he were here right now, she could see him cracking wise back at her mute stalkers, dancing around their weapons and treating them as if they weren't absolutely lethal. Every time she thought about giving up, her thoughts went to Chat Noir, and she remembered she has a partner, and a city, to return to.

The second important, and possibly the most important, person she thought about was Adrien. Of course, it was probably really silly to think about her crush so much in a constant life or death struggle like the one she endured currently. But it was possibly the most encouraging thing she had left. When not even the thought of Paris being left unguarded or her best feline friend were enough to distract her, she also thought of the times she had with Adrien. The first time they met in the rain, when he offered to be her personal translator when her great uncle came to visit, when they practiced for the video game tournament. Remembering all the time they spent together led her to realize just how supportive Adrien had really been about her. His compliments played on-loop in her head like a vinyl record. If there was ever a time Marinette felt herself about to give up completely, she heard the soft tone of Adrien's voice willing her to keep fighting. After all, if Adrien believed she was determined enough, a disfigured chainsaw massacre wanna-be was nothing to her.

Allowing herself that time to rest, Marinette's breathing was in control and she felt ready to get moving again. Slowly trying to get her mind in order, she tried to put the memory of Dwight behind her. The guilt of not being able to help him trying to cloud her mind. She could only hope that his face would be one of the few she'd see back at the bonfire the next morning. Bracing herself to stand again, the shrill sounds of a bell rang out. Not in the distance, the sounds came from right behind her. Her now shallow breaths got caught in her throat as it tightened in response.

Pressing herself gently against the treads, she tried to make her form as small as possible. After the bell chimes fell away, she could hear the strained growls that accompanied 'The Wraith' as they called him. It seemed as if the growling came from above her, but she had absolutely no idea where the Wraith was standing. She wanted to peek over her hiding spot to try and get at least somewhat of an idea, no matter how much logic screamed at her to stay still and hope and pray it would get bored and leave. Placing a hand against the metal to steady herself, her head rose carefully over the top of the treads. Her sight was immediately met with the bandaged legs and shawl covered back of the predator in question.

Quickly she ducked back down, trying to muffle the squeak of fear she let out upon discovering just how close he was to finding her. The growling rolled to a stop before turning into a straight steady tone. Marinette's inwardly cursed as her mind reeled trying to think of an escape. The Wraith now in high alert did nothing but add to her internal panic. It's growls now sounded like it was behind her. She assumed the Wraith heard her squeal and was now moving around the opposite end of the treads to verify it had another helpless survivor to sacrifice. Marinette gingerly lifted one of her feet and began a crouch walk in the opposite direction. Ready to play a twisted high stakes game of extremely careful Ring Around the Rosie. Focusing her sight on the ground, her feet landed soundlessly on solid dirt each time, trying to avoid grass or patches of mud that would create even the smallest sound. Any more noise would be a death sentence.

Bracing herself with a hand against the side of the tread, she was almost past the corner at the opposite end the Wraith would be. The steady growl increasing in volume as she stepped further away. All she had to do was go around the side and quietly sneak off while her hunter continued searching for the source of her impromptu noise. She only had to stay low, and avoid rustling any weeds with a misplaced step. Glancing over her shoulder, she took her eyes off where she was placing her steps, and in just one second, her usual good fortune betrayed her. The bottom of her pink flat finding a tiny branch and snapping into it with a silence amplified crack. Her body completely froze in realization, a cold chill creeped through her veins at the snapping sound. Even the Wraith's growls stopped completely the second it heard her mistake. A branch breaking in half is usually very mundane, but against the backdrop of the abandoned junkyard, it might as well have been thunder in the sky.

In that next moment, the sound of the Wraith's growls evolved into a snarl and Marinette's reflexes sent her into a desperate sprint away from the scene. Running on adrenaline, Marinette tried very carefully to maintain a speed that could outpace her pursuer while making sure the small rocks and tree branches scattered about wouldn't cause another 'clumsy' incident of hers. She knew tripping now would mean certain death, which she wanted to prevent at all cost.

Nature gave way to walls of condensed scrap and former cars, almost labyrinth like but contained window like gaps at random intervals. Marinette vaulted through a few of the gaps and sprinted off again in a random direction she at least knew was away from the bandaged spectre chasing her. Along the way, she pulled over as many loose scrap parts off the walls as she could at narrow choke points, an attempt at creating improvised blockades that she hoped would deter or stop it. When she could no longer hear the snarling of the 'beast' behind her, she skid her run to a stop. Breathing heavily and trying to get her bearings on where exactly she was.

There were still a few walls of car parts around, but placed so far away that the area wasn't a closed box. It was rather open, and with limited patches of tall grass or corners to hide in. If she stayed any longer here, she knew for certain the Wraith would have no problem finding her again. While thinking of the thing she so desperately wanted to be rid of the sounds of low growls were slowly coming back from behind her.

_'Damn!'_

Surveying the area again, her eyes rested on a bright red closet not too far away set against one of the scrap walls. Marinette noticed these tall red cabinets were a staple of whatever location they were dumped in for another night's hunt. There were plenty of these person sized lockers placed against walls and all around the forests she ran through. Marinette assumed this was the work of this 'Entity' she kept hearing so much about. It was offering them another outlet to use to outsmart it's bloodthirsty servants, but Marinette guessed the god monster only placed them to add to the sick sadistic theme of hide and seek it seemed to adore.

The growls got even louder and Marinette made her choice of caving in and using the cabinet instead of standing there and preparing to be carved up by the bone scythe her hunter was using. She had to rely on her luck again that the Wraith would be fooled into thinking she had run off instead of hiding. Considering recent events, her faith that luck would hold out was running dangerously low.

Dashing over to the bright red cabinet, she gripped the handle and threw the door open, trying to go just slow enough to avoid the creaking unoiled joints that would give her away. Without looking, she shoved herself into the locker, shutting the same panel she opened. Expecting to hit the wooden back of the closet, she was surprised to find her shoulder met the solid form of another body.

"Wha-!"

Managing to suppress another high-pitched sound this time, she immediately jumped away, back hitting familiar wooden material as she squished herself against one of the sides of the cabinet.

_"Who is that!"_

The distinctly human voice came out as a hushed hiss of a whisper. Whoever it was hiding in here became quickly annoyed at the concept of having to now share their only safety.

_"Shh~"_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Be-"_

Marinette tried to silence her unexpected neighbor in the same hushed, hostile tone. But she caught herself when she noticed the person speaking was using the French language. It wasn't uncommon to find foreign survivors who fell to the same fate as her of being trapped in this world, but the voice that spoke this language was someone she recognized. The same voice she would replay over in her head to inspire her, keep her going in her darkest moments. Her next word came out slightly curious, slightly choked.

"A-Adrien?"

She couldn't see much in the dark enclosed space, but she saw the boy's stance shift slightly. Hearing the material of his clothes rub against the walls of the closet as she saw a head lean forward. Moonlight fell through the slits on the small window across her neighbor, revealing slightly messy blond hair and piercing green eyes that she would know from anywhere.

"Marinette?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two meet! Having someone to share this experience with could be beneficial. Or perhaps not?
> 
> The Dead by Daylight universe is rife with death and violence, there will be many dark and grim situations I can put our two favorite heroes through. Depends on how long I want to keep this going however. I have the plot formed up to the third chapter and can easily end the story there. Its pretty much on the reader's, like you, if you want me to continue the story past that. Until then, I'm currently working on the second chapter and should have it out soon. And if anyone actually has a better title for the entire story, shoot me a message. I kind of just came up with the name in 5 minutes.
> 
> Once again, I'm sorry for all the pain I'm going to have to put our favorite kids through. ;_;


	2. Black Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, we got a night from Marinette's point of view. This time, we'll see how Adrien has been faring ever since the Entity got a hold of the two. Adrien has been a bit more resourceful than his dear friend. Though Marinette is arguably more strong willed at keeping herself together. The poor cat doesn't exactly do the best at trying not to let all of this horror get to his head.
> 
> I've also featured more of a background showing how Adrien got to where he is now. Probably something I should have elaborated on with Marinette. This chapter also features plenty of examples of Adrien's natural bad luck, another detail of Marinette's I slightly neglected to show. The more I think about how much I put onto Adrien's side makes me about how little I gave her. I'm probably going to keep that in mind in the future.
> 
> And with all that, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

_"Similar to this mysteriously lucky survivor I have seen, I've found her mirror. He's shown up in my nights far less frequent than his counterpart, however, I've watched him long enough to notice the path of misfortune he leaves in his wake. In the killer's eyes, he has become something of an obsession. Initially not sure why or how he came to this place, many said he ran around without purpose. Most of the times, this was right into the waiting jaws of our captors. Once, being close enough to witness a chase between him and the beast that wields bear traps as a tool of pain, it was nothing short of grimly comical. The boy acts with a raw haste unseen in most panic-stricken lives. Dodging and running from his pursuer almost on an animal-like instinct. The actions of his hunter is what perplexed me the most. Compared to the focus and precision he channels into his misshapen machete to cut down even the most hardy survivor, his actions seem more like he's flailing aimlessly. Hardly trying to injure the lanky blond-haired boy who taunts him with his very existence. The kid had ran to a nearby makeshift cabin, ready to lose his problem with some quick misdirection. But he misjudged the distance and the determination of his predator. As I saw the sharp metal club raise again to land a fatal blow, I was certain he would be another victim. With reflexes that shouldn't be possible to the common man, he ducked and the swing went wide, the weapon being lodged into the cabin wall instead. Roars pierced the air as I saw him escape, the ‘Trapper’ trying to dislodge his now stuck weapon._

_Of the contact he's had with others like him, many have described him as a liability of sorts. More than willing to earn his keep, people have noticed he is quick to help others repair the generators scattered about or warn others of approaching danger. Unfortunately, his misfortune that follows him not only extends to our hunters, but us as well. Even those who claim to be the most mechanically apt in charge of repairing the generators that allow our escape have said they've managed to blow a fuse they were reattaching. While he was diligently at work with repairs across from them. Scouts who keep a well trained eye out for danger manage to blindly walk into a trap left on the ground, the now panicking boy trailing behind having generously offered to be another pair of eyes . At this point, he's become known amongst the handful of people still left as a walking target for tragedy. Wherever he walks, bad luck and destruction chases him like a pet to it's owner. Those who know of this avoid him, saying it's better to be alone than risk being near him. Others with malicious intent manage to use him as bait for whatever's chasing them, just to have a moment of reprieve. I'm not sure if the boy or the girl have ever run a trial together, or know that the other even exists. I'm not even sure if his terrible luck has ever managed to get him killed or if he's endured so much agony he's grown used to the feeling. But this I know for certain. Despite all his good intentions, any place this boy goes, misery ensues." - Benedict Baker's journal, 1897 _

* * *

Terrifying was probably the best description for whatever this was and still is. Adrien has been terrified since being trapped here in this place. That terror remained up to now, and it is something no amount of his patented ‘Chat Noir’ confidence could wade off. He would say it _helped,_ but when he encountered even the slightest hint of danger, all his decisions became ruled by fear. And considering how well that’s worked for him each night…

Adrien’s sarcastic sentiment slowly brought about a new wave of feeling. The sensations started out as small tingles across his skin before flaring up into unpleasant throbs. Phantom pains of the nights he’d rather forget highlighted where his mistakes and scars should have been. Adrien came to his senses and shook himself awake. The pain stopped all at once as he got a hold of himself and his body. Nevermind...he didn’t even want to think about the previous hunts.

Now he had been armed with knowledge he previously didn’t have before. After first coming here, he had a quick and rather blunt meeting with one of the serial killers that reside in this realm. A first lesson that involved possibly more running than he ever had to do in his life. The amount of distance he had to cover in three nights surpassed all the rooftop gaps of Paris he bounded across as Chat Noir.

Ever since that first encounter, he learned to stay away from the hulking monsters that’s only purpose was killing. Instead he started to find other human survivors like him. One of the first people he met he remembered being a dark skinned man who introduced himself as ‘Trey’. From his accent when he spoke, he assumed he had to come from Britain, if not some part of the UK. Being a world renowned model, Adrien often had to leave Paris to go overseas to usually the US or another part of Europe. This gave him a little bit more of an understanding of the English language than some of his friends. Making speaking to Trey much easier than normal.

When Trey heard Adrien had absolutely no idea what he was doing here, he explained as much as he knew about where they are and what to do to survive. He got to explaining how the generators scattered about were all connected to powering the giant exit gates around the walled perimeter, the rickety scrap metal gates that separated them from escaping through the endless fog and eventually ending up back at camp. Adrien voiced his doubts almost immediately when he heard that ‘repairing’ something was involved. He wasn’t trying to sound like it was beneath him, but he was more than sure in his skillset that playing _‘Mechanic’_ was not one of them.

A little assurance from Trey helped ease Adrien’s doubts, the british man walked him through one of the generators they found out together what it took to get working. With some help, the blonde model studied the intricacies of the very used looking generator for later reference. They eventually repaired it, despite Trey’s observation on how it seemed much harder than usual, and not a few seconds later they heard a siren and saw the large floodlights of the exit gates come alive in the distance.

“Ey, man, come on! Let’s get out of here.”

Trey and Adrien took off toward the closest spotlight they could see. Weaving through the dense trees and rocks that littered the field. Adrien swore he could have heard a grunt come from Trey, but he passed it off as just the effort they were putting into their sprint to the exit. Tunnel vision took over his senses and the only thing that existed in this world for a moment was the bright red light at the end. Adrien came out of the forest and slowed to a stop when he saw the fog covered world that would eventually lead back to the campfire. He also noticed another person come out from behind the wall. Rougher looking than Trey, the man wore a leather jacket with rider pants made for motorcycles and a pair of aviators, a flashier ensemble compared to the nondescript jeans and t-shirt of Adrien’s new friend.

He approached Adrien hesitantly from his hiding place behind the open gate and spoke to him with his gravel-laced tone.

“You the only one who got out, boy?”

After taking some time to catch his breath, Adrien looked over at the man and managed some of his best English.

“Yes. He was here. He should be right behind-”

 When Adrien turned back, he noticed no sign of his recent friend. Being one of the heroes of Paris made him a little fast, of course. But it only made him a hair faster than Trey. He should have been here at the exit by now.

 “Be...hind me…”

 The guy with the aviators said nothing this whole time. Letting Adrien’s eyes scan the forest several times. After a few minutes had passed, both began to assume the worst.

 “Come on, kid. He’s probably at the other exit.” The rough man reached out and tugged on Adrien’s arm, trying to pull him away from a possible panic attack or possibly trying something stupid.

“No. No, he should be here...was here…” Adrien gently shrugged off his hold and took a step forward back toward the forest.

“Kid, trust me. He’s probably long gone by now at the other gate. We need to get going, now!” Again the man made a grab for him,  this time grabbing his shoulder and giving him an even rougher shake.

“NO! He’s going to be here. Need to wait-” Before Adrien could move one step closer away from safety, the man grabbed hold of his arm and forcibly tugged him back toward the exit.

“Kid, if we don’t get out of here, we’ll both be good as dead. Now come on! You’ll see your friend later. We’re leaving!” Adrien pulled back against the man and got out of his hold. Both parties began to stare each other down. Adrien’s green eyes met brown. One filled with despair at the thought of losing someone he just met, the other void of emotion and unsympathetic toward anyone but themselves. With one last look over his shoulder, Adrien’s eyes did a final sweep, his mind confirmed it’s current greatest fear.

Turning his attention toward the void, Adrien broke out into another sprint, launching himself into the fog covered outside. It always ended the same way on the nights he managed to get out alive. He ran for what seemed like minutes, sometimes a few seconds, and he eventually found himself back at the campfire with either three people he didn’t know or familiar faces much too shaken to make friendly conversation. In this case, he didn’t see the face of the Brit who gave him all the knowledge he needed to survive. Not that morning, or the next three mornings after.

He never saw Trey again.

* * *

Brought back to the present. Adrien woke up on the dirt ground next to an oil barrel and walls of compacted cars. The barrel still had a fire going and across from it was another one of these damn hooks he saw everywhere. He made a conscious effort to avoid looking at the hook he managed to wake up near.

_‘It’s going to be one of those nights, isn’t it…’_

Pushing himself to his feet, he made a resolve to get started. Hoping and praying that this night would at least be one where his rotten luck would manage to stay calm for a while. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t get someone else killed because of his terrible relationship with fate. Pressing against one of the junk walls, he took a cautious look out into the distance. Adrien made out the telltale flickering light of an inactive generator in the distance, and thankfully no sign of the night’s hunter yet.

He was slightly more sensitive to detecting the killer than many of the other survivors he met. The model chalked it up to his alter ego’s heightened senses bleeding into his civilian life. Adrien was by no means a god of telling when and where the group’s stalker will be, but his sixth sense gave him more situational awareness than the average survivor. And right now his instinct was telling him whatever was chasing him wouldn’t be around this area for a long time.

Realizing he can sacrifice stealth and safety for the time being, Adrien dashed over to the generator in the distance. As he got closer, he heard the sound of gears being moved and switches being tested. Someone else was already repairing this generator. Which was fantastic luck, with both of them trying to fix the rusted old block, they would be able to find out what’s wrong and get it running in no time.

The survivor behind the generator seemed to notice the sound of something running at his position as well, his head craning around the side to see what exactly was making the noise. Adrien slowed down into a walk as he caught eyes with the man. He looked to be Asian, a slightly tanned face with firm lips set in a straight line meeting his own curious expression. It seemed as if he recognized Adrien, because in the next second his face lit up in realization as he turned and started to run away from the now confused boy. His form disappeared into the fog, his shaggy dark hair, green parka, and muddy boots becoming less visible every second.

Adrien heard about a reputation he had begun to develop among the survivors. If they didn’t recognize him as teenage model Adrien Agreste first, it was always as the unlucky boy second. Adrien couldn’t blame them, seeing firsthand from survivors who didn’t know just how bad things could get. If they knew what happened to people like Trey from just being near him, Adrien wouldn’t want to partner up with himself either.

Banishing the thoughts from his mind, he decided to focus on the generator instead. Something he should be doing anyway if he wanted to escape this night alive. He got to work, kneeling down and trying to examine the work already done by the other guy. It seemed like the man knew what he was doing. All that was left that Adrien’s very basic knowledge could see was a few wires that needed to be mended and a part or two placed in the completely wrong area. Two very easy tasks that he could do, but without the proper tools became an anxiously long process.

Adrien remembered meeting people that had things they brought into the realm with them. Including flashlights to see through the dark with, medkits which it’s purpose was very obvious, and toolboxes. God, what he wouldn’t give for a toolbox right now. The first time he saw someone carrying something, it piqued his interest. He asked how it was possible that they had these things with them. Did they already have them when they got trapped here? Did they find these things here? Adrien vaguely remembered seeing trunks scattered around the fields while he was running. The answer he got was cryptic, someone told him that the only reliable way to get things like that in this realm was to ‘open your mind to the entity’. That answer very quickly made Adrien stop asking any questions about toolboxes or medkits for a while.

A few hand-spliced cables and setting a few parts back into place later and everything internally looked to be in order. Adrien went to the panel on the generator and flipped the switch labeled ‘Test’. A sputter and a few seconds later, the generator came alive as the sounds of the timing belt whirred and the previously flickering lights above him were now a solid light. Even though Adrien still had no idea what logic went into these generators powering the exit gates that allowed them back to the camp each night, he couldn’t help but admit that each generator he activated flooded him with hopeful thoughts.

“At least one thing is going right tonight.” He murmured, standing up from his kneeling position he adopted.

Scanning the environment, he saw no evidence that anything was hunting them. Not a growl, a sharp clank or splintering sound of a weapon going wide and hitting a tree or rock, not even a scream. This put Adrien even more at ease. But the feeling of dread that filled him wouldn’t go away. Sometimes when it came to the trials, the silence was much worse than chaos. This wasn’t the place for one to let their guard down.

His inability to withstand his anxiousness was probably the reason why he wasn’t a fan of horror movies, Adrien mentally snarked. He always was more of a fan of animated films anyway.

Setting off again deeper into the rows of car parts, splintered planks, and barrels, Adrien treaded carefully forward. He had learned within the first few hunts that recklessness got you discovered, and killed, much quicker. It was simply a balance between reckless and carefulness in this place, a happy medium that made the nights go fast and meant less sightings of their predator.

Reaching the end of another junk wall, he leaned out just enough to take in his surroundings. Thankfully there still seemed to be no sightings or signs of the killer. The thought meant to put Adrien’s fears at bay only made his stomach churn with grim anticipation. What he did manage to see in the distance, was another survivor. From what he could make out, it wasn’t the same man from before. Instead of a green parka and muddy jeans and work boots, this man looked straight out of a corporate office. Sporting a dirty white button-up, striped tie, and a pair of brown work slacks that would have been sharp if not for the accumulated mud and dirt that now stuck to it’s material.

Adrien couldn’t recall having seen this man before. Maybe his luck had finally started to turn after all. If he didn’t already know about Adrien’s reputation to spread misfortune, he could offer to help fix these generators with him. Two heads are always better than one, or in this case two survivors fixing the same thing would take no time at all.

Before he could even take a step out from his position, the doubts started to settle in about whether he really would help him.

_‘If you try to help, you’re only going to make things worse. He’s safer alone.’_

This thought tore him in two. Part of the reason why he decided to adopt the ‘Chat Noir’ persona was because he could make a difference. The freedom and ability to speak and act freely was always the first and more selfish reason. But being able to help people would always be a huge part of his alternate identity. If he helped, they could be rid of tonight much sooner, another life safe from the uncaring grasp of death. If he stayed away, Adrien wouldn’t have to introduce his bad luck, and leave this man to his own devices. What could he possibly do?

The universe seemed to have heard his internal struggle and decided to answer the conflicted boy. Sharp, heavy bell sounds pierced the air as Adrien’s eyes witnessed a form slowly materialize from bright orange embers into a tall, grey-skinned body covered in bandages and a tattered shawl, bell held in one hand and a scythe in the shape of a spine and skull in the other. Adrien had heard about this one from the others. Survivors noticed it’s ability to turn invisible from the ringing of the bell held in his hand. The one they dubbed ‘The Wraith’.

This ‘Wraith’ now charged the man previously working on the generator. As soon as the bells began to ring, his head snapped back to find the slowly materializing monster heading his way. He stopped his work on the generator immediately and broke into a run in the opposite direction. The Wraith’s initial swing went wide, clanking harmlessly off the metal shell of the generator. Adrien’s mind off-hand wondered if that was part of the vexing effect of his luck. Recovering quickly, the shawl clad stalker gave chase to the now sprinting office worker.

With the head start the survivor had been given, Adrien was more than sure he would make it. He soon realized he miscalculated the raw physicality of the pursuer, as the Wraith had managed to catch up and swung its scythe yet again. This time, it found it’s mark, slashing into the man’s side with a wet schlick and a loud grunt. Adrien cringed when he heard the sound even from how far away he had been. Of all the time spent in these never ending hunts, these sounds were ones that would always haunt him.

The man fell, clutching his side, but he didn’t stop. Pushing himself back to his feet and breaking into another sprint with a now noticeable limp. His hunter only stopping to wipe the blood and traces of torn clothing off his weapon. Trying to clean it for the future use it would be seeing. When it was finished, Adrien saw it slightly turn it’s head and shuffle off in the direction it’s prey ran.

Letting out a breath he wasn’t aware he held this entire time, Adrien leaned against the wall. Now feeling weak for having only watched instead of acting.

_‘You could have done something, idiot!’_

_‘And what exactly could you have done against a monster like that.’_

The all knowing-doubtful voice was back.

_‘ANYTHING! Anything would have been better than standing here.’_

Sighing, Adrien made sure that would be the end of his internal argument. That he should instead turn his attention back to staying alive. Not a moment sooner, and he would have not noticed the Wraith in the distance, moving at the same large stride as when he walked off. Adrien was confused as to why he made a complete u-turn and was now heading in his direction. The blonde didn’t have to look long to notice there was no sign of his previous victim either. Yet another showing of his bad luck, the killer had lost his previous plaything and accidently stumbled into a new toy.

_‘No. No. No.’_

The bell-toting giant stalked just several feet to the right of his current position. The grass below his feet would be just high enough to completely cover him if he crouched low. Hiding in plain sight would be extremely risky. But with the current distance the imposing form was steadily closing, it was probably the best plan he had.

Adrien used the wall to brace himself, hunching lower and lower, until eventually the greenery he stood in enveloped him completely. He slowed his breathing and made sure to remain as quiet and unnoticeable as possible. For the most part, his makeshift plan looks like it worked. The Wraith continuing on as if it had never saw the boy standing against the junk wall.

Having just about passed him, Adrien began to prepare himself to walk off the second it’s back was facing his way. Grabbing onto the wall of junk, his hand fell on a very brittle, and not at all secure, muffler that snapped apart with a loud clang. Adrien fell onto his back, top half now clearly exposed. A single snarl and the projected red tint of the killer’s vision covered his body. He didn’t have to look at the murderer right next to him to know his eyes were now burning a hole in him. Just like he didn’t have to mention what caused this to happen.

_‘Crap!’_

Adrien recovered to his feet and took off running before he even heard the confirmatory growls of being chased. He dashed through the high walls of crushed car parts and splintered wood dotting the ground. When he had to cross a wide open field, he made sure to make use of the abandoned decrepit cars, making roundabouts in an attempt to throw off the chase. As he headed back toward more sections of walls, he heard the determined growls spurring him forward still.

Gritting his teeth, he ignored his legs screaming at him to stop with the strain they were being put under. Instead, Adrien headed deeper into the junk walls, his body making split decisions for him. He vaulted over as many open spaces in the wall as he could think of, tried to run around in as incoherent a pattern as he could manage, yet another snarl and a low growl told him he was not alone.

_‘What does it take!’_

Adrien ran straight through a smaller section of the wall, noticing out of the corner of his eye a well-hidden, solid, and wide plank of wood resting between the small space. If he wasn’t going to outrun him, he would just have to get more bold with his tactics. He made sure to slow down, looking over his shoulder to confirm he had enough distance to pull it off. When he saw the Wraith round the corner he had just been, charging forward and desperate to pounce, Adrien forced himself back into a sprint just fast enough to beat him. His hunter raised his scythe, readying the motion to bring it down in a gambling lunge. What wasn’t expected, was when Adrien stopped and gripped the hidden plank tightly, pulling it down and causing his predator to run straight into the obstacle. Right where Adrien assumed his midsection would be.

The surprised growl it let out was enough for Adrien to know he was safe for the time being. Taking advantage of the dazed creature, he ran in another direction he assumed the killer wouldn’t head in after recovering from the sudden trauma. When he reached an open clearing with barely any walls or objects to conceal himself, Adrien started wishing he had gone in the other direction instead.

The only thing that was readily apparent in this slightly open clearing was the one red closet that accompanied a small section of wall, an embedded still functioning headlight flickering every so often. He remembered people mentioned these closets managing to make brilliant hiding spots in a pinch. Who was Adrien to argue about a possible safe haven from being chased again. Not like he had any other options at this point.

Rushing to the door, he slowly opened one side, seizing with each creak the old hinges let off. Stepping inside, he made sure he was comfortably standing against the back before pulling the open side closed. Although Adrien was slimmer compared to the average boy his age, the cabinet was very clearly standing room only. Even with himself inside, he realized he could barely fit another person in here, at least without it being uncomfortable.

Nights grew worse and worse for the boy, and the entire string of events further proved his inability to find peace and tranquility with his misfortune. He had no idea why this dimension exaggerated it to an unmanageable degree, but it did. From what he heard of the ‘Entity’, he could only assume it was the being’s doing. Making him barely able to work with survivors without indirectly sabotaging them in some way. But in that same respect, why would that be. Since it seemed to be indiscriminate, spreading to the killer’s ability to focus on it’s only task. Was he just the cosmic being’s comedy act? Any and all evidence pointed to that. The whole situation was simply too much to take in, and until Adrien was sure he would be safe again, all he had inside this closet was him and his thoughts.

His mind was still a jumble at this point, though he evaded capture not a minute ago, the chase still managed to break his nerve. No amount of ‘Chat Noir’ bravado would be able to hide the fact that he was terrified. He wished a thousand times over to be back in Paris, waking up to another regulated breakfast without father. Another trip to school in his limo driven by his bodyguard. Another day of school and fencing and Mandarin practice. Another **normal** day. He wanted to see his friends again. Nino talking about his new set for DJ ing, Alya going on about her Ladyblog updates, even Marinette’s stammering and excitement over her new designs. Something familiar to him.

More so when he thought about things that were familiar to him, it was his ability to patrol Paris. The city he swore to keep safe. Alongside the person he had the utmost confidence and trust in. Ladybug had been his best friend and partner for so long, and now he was trapped here without her. Never to know about the infinite torture that comes with every night’s hunt. Never to know her partner was alone and in need of her help now more than ever. Never to know just how much he really wanted to know who was under the mask, so he could let that her know the impact she made on his life. If there was one thing he wished was here right now, he’d wish a thousand times over that he had Ladybug here by his side. So she could make him feel safe and protect him so they could conquer this realm together. At the very edge of breaking down, Adrien put everything into praying to any deities he could think of to give him what he desperately needed.

His sorrow filled instability was promptly interrupted after his prayer by a loud creak from the door and the feeling of an elbow burying itself into his abdomen.

“Wha-”

The elbow hit him again, less forceful this time. It had to have been a person that was thrashing around to make room in this closet with him, but for kwami’s sake, they could have at least been gentle about it. Who the hell was this?

_“Who is that!”_

Adrien hissed out, sounding more hostile than he meant to while trying to keep his voice low.

_“Shh~”_

His new companion sounded back with a very testy shush. The nerve.

_“Who are you?”_

_“Be-”_

It appeared the voice wanted to quiet him down with another exclamation, but what happened next was something Adrien could have never predicted. The voice turned into one that he knew very well. Something _normal._

“A-Adrien?”

It was her.

  
“Marinette?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deja vu? Right?
> 
> Adrien knows a lot more about how to escape than Marinette does. Unfortunately, knowledge like that puts him in far greater danger than Marinette would ever face. And he's been on the receiving end of it far more than he would be willing to admit.
> 
> I know Adrien's bad luck had become a kind of focal point of the chapter. I wanted to focus on the extraordinary properties of Adrien's bad luck before and since becoming Chat Noir along with Marinette's good fortune since becoming Ladybug. Trying to make them a kind of trait, like how the other survivors in-game have their own unique perks that define them. Being trapped in some kind of dimension with a malicious god gives me a kind of freedom to make it believable.
> 
> Fun fact: I personally nicknamed the chapter/document 'Unlucky Sunshine Boy'. Humor like this is only distracting me from remembering just how dark this can get. I gotta stop hurting cat nerd.


	3. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is finally going to get a lot more character interaction from here on in. Mainly because Marinette and Adrien have been reunited, but it gets exhausting trying to write strictly descriptions, thoughts, and chase scenes. Hopefully some dialogue between characters will shake it up.
> 
> Not too much else to say about this chapter, other than this. It's going to get extremely heavy...

**Reunion**

_“I may have been born into wealth and fame, but I’ve had bad luck all my life. For every good thing, it’s like there’s 15 other things around the corner ready to fall on me. Being stuck here is a prime example of this! Why should it be any different now…”_ _Lost Tapes:Adrien Agreste_

* * *

 

Running into your semi-longtime crush in a confined space in the middle of what could be hell in another dimension isn’t exactly the most expected thing that could happen. At the moment, the two were silent as they stared down each other, Marinette’s mouth slightly ajar and Adrien’s face reading open surprise. A life or death situation isn’t the opportune time to start blushing at said crush or start stammering. Both of these feelings which Marinette tried desperately to smother while breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Adrien. W-what are you doing here?”

“Me? I should be asking you.” They tried their best to whisper, surprise making their voices louder than they probably would have wanted.

“Don’t deflect the question! I want to know why you’re here in this place too. Are you hurt? How long have you been here?” Marinette’s concern threatened to break into another rambling bit, which Adrien was quick to squash.

“Stop! Stop. I’ve been alright, I’m fine. How did you get here? I thought I was alone. Did _they_ hurt you at all? I’m more worried about you now.”

“It doesn’t matter how I got here! We need to get out of wherever ‘here’ is! Have you found out anything? Have you met anyone since you got here? How-” Marinette was silenced suddenly by Adrien’s hand. The boy covering her mouth and miming the ‘quiet’ shush.

_“He’s coming.”_

With a sharp inhale, they took in a breath after Adrien’s warning. For the first few seconds, nothing strange happened. Until they heard rough footsteps from outside that were heading toward their hiding place. The footfalls got louder, as did a grotesque snarl. Through the door slits on each side, they saw the shawl covered body of the ‘Wraith’ slowly shuffling past the closet. He was patrolling the area for the most recent prey he lost. Which Marinette knew was her.

Without checking the closet, it continued on, the sounds of footsteps falling further away as they faded into the sounds of the crows cawing in the night with the sudden rushes of wind. Adrien was the first to speak, hand still held semi-firmly over the girl’s mouth.

“Take a deep breath, and you can go on three. One. Two.”

On the unspoken third, they took another breath, a slow calming one this time so they could at least remain coherent when they talked. Since Marinette was given the first question by Adrien, she directed one toward Adrien in a low calm tone.

“How did you get here? Do you know how long you’ve been trapped here?”

Adrien couldn’t answer the first question without compromising the one thing he’d like to remain secret. As much as Adrien knew he couldn’t truly die here while the Entity continues to bring him back to the bonfire each morning, his secret identity is something he would take to the grave. Not like it would do any good to out himself as Chat Noir to Marinette without his powers anyway. So, he’d have to come up with a convenient half-truth.

“Okay, um. There was a photo shoot that they scheduled for me. Father arranged with the photographer to have an early shoot taken. Because, uh, we were modeling the upcoming Spring collection.” If the space they stood in wasn’t so small, Adrien’s nervous tick of scratching the back of his neck would have resurfaced right now. She was never going to buy this…

“The Spring collection? Near the beginning of Fall a year before?” Adrien deflated, but didn’t let it show. She was already skeptical.

“Y-yeah! I mean, yes. They had an idea and wanted it shot in a forest type area. So they wanted to take pictures before there were leaves all on the ground. Father was really adamant about getting it done sooner rather than on-time for whatever reason.” Father would never do that! This lie was full of more holes than a slice of Camembert after a Plagg attack.

“They wanted it done in a forest area?”

“Yeah.”

“It wouldn’t happen to be one of the forests in _Bois de Boulogne_ would it?” The hell? That was exactly where Adrien had been when he stumbled into this place.

“It is...H-how did you know?” Time for Marinette’s turn on the stake. It wasn’t a stretch as it was probably the closest wooded area to where they lived, but she made that guess so confidently that there was no doubt she was hiding something.

“M-me? How did I k-know?” _Got her_. And the truth comes out. “Well, I wanted to draft up a few more designs because everyone else was busy.” Lie. Marinette hated liars, but the superhero business came with needing to be extremely good at fabricating alibis. Which made her almost as proficient as Lila when it came to fibbing. “But staying at home in my room was terrible inspiration, so I told my Mama and Papa I was going out, and they let me. So I took the bus to Bois De Boulogne and tried to get inspiration from the parks there.”

The only real part in this story was the fact she had to go to the park. But she couldn’t tell Adrien that the real reason was because she and Chat had chased the akuma there to the dense wooded areas of the national park. Her secret will remain a secret. The looming threat of death that hung over her wouldn’t change that.

“You were sketching new designs in the park?”

“Yes! Yes. I, uh, needed a change of scenery to get more ideas down on paper. I figured it would help…” She made this story up, she might as well continue to bolster it. He didn’t voice any suspicions about her cover story so far, so she took it to mean he didn’t have any.

“So, how did you end up here then if you were on the park side? Did the ground swallow you up?” That question caught her. How did he know she didn’t get to this place from just the park?

“Well, the park had some beautiful sights, but I was so caught up in the scenery that I walked straight into one of the trails they had there and got lost in the forest. Eventually I found myself here. Is that why you asked? You got lost in the woods too then!”

Marinette saw right through Adrien’s question and pretty much finished the rest of the story for him again. This was beginning to be more than a silly coincidence. “I did. They told me they would start the shoot in a minute, they just wanted to make sure the photographer’s equipment was perfect. I might have wandered off and explored in the meantime, I started to head back before they thought I just left altogether, and then I found myself here.”

No reason to not go with the photo shoot alibi now. His story was laughable, but at the very least, he could make it believe by adding to it.

Marinette’s next question almost caught him off-guard, “Adrien...how long have you been. Here, I mean?” Adrien probably knew how to measure time here as well as she did. Even if he met survivors that had watches with them as they became trapped. All clocks entering here stop. The only way he could tell the time was by mornings and nights.

“I...I don’t really know. I don’t know how much time has passed. I know I’ve been here for...four, maybe five, nights…”

“Five nights…” Marinette couldn’t help but notice how important that was. Ever since that late afternoon, after purifying the akuma, when the walk back to the city became something much more sinister, she counted having been here for five days and five nights.

“Marinette...how long have you been here?” His tone was as soft as it had ever been during this conversation. Full of worry for her, for what she’s seen, what she’s run from, what she’s been hurt by, worry completely meant for her.

Marinette’s voice came back meekly in response. “Five nights…”

The two were well aware that the fact their time matched made a possible question that could lead to the real truth being revealed, but the time wasn’t right for that now, the mounting joint fear they felt distracting themselves from realizing. Instead, Adrien reached out with the side mostly facing Marinette, and in the dark cabinet, found her delicate hand.

Marinette slightly gasped at the brand new feeling of Adrien’s hand taking a gentle hold of hers. He meant it as a sign of comfort, Marinette knew that perfectly well, which is why she tried to avoid blushing and pushed down any lovesick thoughts about having wanted this feeling for a long time. Neither said anything. And in that moment, the confident masks came off and revealed two teenagers afraid for their life. Worried sick about each other and stuck in a cruel, bleak, and unnatural in design world. Nothing but them comforting each other in silence, the wind that continued to howl outside, and the periodic caws from the surplus of nesting crows.

Adrien ran his finger across her knuckles a few times, noting how relatively clean they were, minus the caked on dirt, compared to his grease stained ones from having worked on the generator. He did this a few times to make absolutely sure he got his message across before clearing his throat and speaking again.

“Marinette, we’ve got to find a way out of here.”

His eyes having slightly adjusted to the dark, he noticed Marinette’s blue eyes lose the softness they just had and gain a completely new spark to them.

“Right. Right. First, we have to survive this night.” She spoke without a stutter in a more confident, driven voice. A side of her he only saw emerge when facing down Chloe or keeping their class together under akuma attacks.

“Wait a minute. Marinette, how can you be sure we’ll see each other at the fire in the morning, if we make it out?” He swallowed on the word ‘if’. He didn’t want to put the idea in either of their heads, but he was only trying to be realistic in this scenario.

“If, and by ‘if’ I mean we will, make it out of here, I’m sure we’ll see each other back at the clearing. People who survive the night usually end up together during the morning.” Marinette firmly squeezed the hand Adrien still had holding hers. “I promise we won’t get separated that easily.”

His green eyes went from his hand in hers and back to her baby blue stare. No stuttering or blushing. A completely different Marinette, a Marinette he could trust with his life.

“Okay.” Was all he said in response. She didn’t need much more than that when his hand squeezed back in response.

“Alright. Now we should be able to get out of here relatively easily. The monster-”

“Wraith, they call it ‘The Wraith’.”

“ _Wraith_ is probably half way across the junkyard by now, after passing by this closet. So that means if we get out of this closet-”

Being so enraptured in their grand escape plan, the two barely noticed the footsteps outside that got louder, stopping right in front of the closet doors. Marinette and Adrien froze when they heard the growling coming from right in front of them. Their hunter had passed by earlier, but they hadn’t counted on it still being nearby, checking for signs of life. Not only did the Wraith find it’s previous prey, there was another potential sacrifice for the Entity hiding with her.

_“Adrien…”_

Their hands came apart slowly and returned to their sides. The two preparing themselves for the immediate problem lying ahead.

_“Get ready to-”_

Before finishing her statement, the cabinet doors were flung open with a harshness to the misery that awaited them outside.

“RUN!”

* * *

 

Marinette’s exclamation caused both of them to burst forth out of the closet. The two interrupting the swing of the scythe their murderer intended to land on them with a well placed shoulder block on each side. They both hit the midsection of the beast squarely, dazing it for a second and allowing the two to gain a needed headstart. A snarl from behind them and the padding of bare feet striking the ground confirmed the tall beast had recovered and was coming after them with a vengeance and intent to do worse than hurt.

Adrien and Marinette evenly matched each other in pace. The boy’s longer legs allowing him to cover further distances while his smaller companion had raw speed on her side. They could run out their hunter well enough, but the murderous intent that fueled the rage would beat out the limitations of the human body in time. They had no other option but to take advantage of the fact there were two of them to fool the Wraith.

“Adrien!”

“Yeah?!” The model was focusing still on trying not to run into anything or trip, but he kept his ear open to whatever idea Marinette had to offer.

“We need to trip him up! He can only end up going for one of us! Start running in a zig-zag with me. He can’t focus on both of us.”

“Got it!” He noticed Marinette turned off to the right toward a path littered with trees and large rocks. It was dangerous, but if they pulled this off, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Wraith on their trail for quite a bit.

Marinette ran to the side, leaving a gap between her and Adrien as she had her own lane with a collection of tightly packed trees and low hanging branches to avoid. The Wraith had also charged into the forest area, heading straight ahead for Adrien. Marinette kept looking for gaps in between the dense woods for Adrien and Marinette to switch places and hopefully throw off their pursuer. Finding the perfect spot up ahead, she yelled out to Adrien.

“NOW!”

Hearing her shout, Adrien spied the gap ahead and turned to run through the gap into Marinette’s lane, as she took Adrien’s former spot. The Wraith had its eyes on Adrien still, and almost ran off course into a tree when it noticed the boy had been replaced with the girl. The Wraith set it’s sights on the girl instead, growling in annoyance at the resistence its prey was putting up.

Marinette spotted another gap between the trees, giving the signal, they crossed through the gap, returning to their original places. Again the Wraith saw the one it was chasing disappear into the cover of the trees and almost ran into one. The girl ahead was replaced by the boy again. Agitated at being made a fool, it put more of an effort to closing the gap, which became smaller as the two humans were being worn down.

With how close the Wraith was now, another zig-zag switch could easily fool the murderous hunter into tripping up just how she planned it. Which they needed to do soon, Marinette easily seeing the end of the forest area ahead indicated by the bright moonlight. Another gap was coming up, this one being the one that determined the difference between being saved and ending up dead. Marinette called out one last time as she noticed the Wraith coming within slashing range.

“NOW!” Adrien sprinted off to the right, throwing the scythe wielding monster off as it swung at a target that was no longer there. Instead the shoulder he lunged with met the side of a tree. The tree shook with the impact, their former stalker crumpled to the ground from the new found trauma. The duo didn’t stop to celebrate their victory until after they came through on the other side to find them in the thick of the junkyard again, with it’s walls of car parts and splintered debris piles.

The two slowed into a stumble as they both doubled over in an attempt to catch the breath they needed from their extended efforts. Greedily sucking in as much air as they could manage, Adrien was the first one to speak in between huffs and breaths.

“We...we did it!”

Marinette joined in with his celebration, pleasantly surprised at how well her plan worked. And even more pleased with how well they worked together.

“We shouldn’t...see it around...for a little while at least.”

They slowed their inhales, eventually managing to get their breathing from huge gasps to a steady flow. The two taking a bit more time to rest knowing their pursuer had been disabled for the time being.

“That was a really great plan, Marinette. Dangerous, but we managed to escape.”  Marinette’s heart swelled at the compliment. She contemplated having to replay Adrien’s compliments from the past now that she had the actual person here, deciding against it, she stored this one away for future replaying.

“Thanks. You weren’t so bad yourself. Passing in-between those trees required huge precision and sharp reflexes.” Without thinking, Adrien held up his fist for Marinette, who responded with her own fist. Bumping harmlessly off each other in a congratulatory gesture.

Only after realizing what Adrien had just done did he regret his involuntary reflex. He had gotten so caught up in the moment he forgot he was with Marinette, not his lady. The same went for Marinette, the gesture was something her and Chat did exclusively after purifying an akuma. The fact that when she did it with Adrien flooded her with a sense of familiarity sent her mind reeling.

 

A gasp from Marinette was the only sound heard in the field, followed by the sudden cackle of bells.

 

The Wraith’s form materialized behind Marinette in a few seconds, and Adrien had even less time to notice the monster raise its weapon for a deadly strike.

“ **Marinette! Behind you!** ”

Marinette’s didn’t even register Adrien’s words as he leaned forward, grabbing her in a hug and twisting her body toward the other direction. His back now facing the killer’s weapon as it landed with a slice.

Adrien’s agonized scream echoed across the field. With a last bit of effort, Adrien let go of Marinette, pushing her away from the danger that blindsided them. She tripped backwards, landing awkwardly in a sit as her eyes scanned Adrien laying flat on the ground. A giant red gash across his back where the material of his white overshirt and black t-shirt should have been.

Marinette’s breathing quivered in shock at the sight of her friend lying motionless. Only tearing her sight away when she heard the scrape of fresh blood against another surface. The Wraith cleaning his bone scythe by rubbing the staining viscera off on his bandage covered arms.

Betraying her want to get her friend help, her mind screamed one thing as The Wraith stopped cleaning the weapon and calmly stared at her.

_‘Run!’_

Her whole body jerked back into consciousness as she scrambled away, running off into the distance and disappearing behind a boulder flanked by trees. The Wraith appeared content with the catch, making no effort to run after the distraught girl, instead directing its attention toward the boy moaning in pain on the ground.

Reaching down to pick up his body, the Wraith wrapped his arm around his stomach, uncaring about agitating the recent wound inflicted on him. Slinging him across his shoulder in a modified fireman’s carry. Turning away from the direction the girl ran, the invisible stalker’s new mission was to find a suitable place to present his offering to the being in the sky.

Unbeknownst to the Wraith, Marinette didn’t completely run off. Instead, she peeked out from her hiding place and noticed the Wraith walking off with Adrien on its shoulder. Determined not to leave her wounded friend behind, she followed its path.

At some point, Adrien awoke from his pain-induced sleep and found himself suspended a few feet off the ground. His mind woke up faster than his body, replaying scenes from the nights before when he found himself in the same situation. On the shoulders of another killer, being transported just to be sacrificed. He did the only thing he could do to fight back. And that was to kick and move around until the monster’s grasp got loose enough to slip from.

Following from behind, Marinette noticed Adrien stirring from where he was being carried on the Wraith’s shoulder. Despite the obvious pain it put him through, Adrien started moaning in effort as he wiggled and shook as hard as he could trying to break free from the hold.

_‘That’s it, Adrien. Fight him, you can do it.’_

Marinette trailed from behind as the unflinching horror tightened its hold in an attempt to keep Adrien  motionless. Stopping every so often and swaying from side to side with the effort the blonde boy was making to escape. Marinette was almost sure Adrien had nearly broke free, when suddenly the Wraith stopped in it’s tracks. Confused, Marinette watched as it’s hand holding the scythe transferred to holding Adrien in place on its shoulder.

Marinette laid prone behind a few crates and some tall grass not too far away, hiding and hoping that Adrien was simply being stashed in this spot, so the bell-toting figure would leave trying to find other prey. The Wraith's true intentions only became noticeable when it moved Adrien completely off its shoulder and Marinette saw the flash of dark curved metal being lined up with the boy’s shoulder. The wood structure that housed a slightly rusty hook meant for stringing up animal carcasses exposed to Marinette’s sight from her hiding spot.

Marinette’s veins were ice when she saw the Wraith raise her friend before slamming him down violently on top of the sharp point. Flesh meeting metal in a gruesome clang. Marinette felt her heart stop working altogether when she heard Adrien’s pained scream pierce the night air with a deep echo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's one thing to hear about survivors being hooked, Marinette watching one of her friends being put on the meathook is something completely different.
> 
> Side note. Why do we always end up hurting Adrien the most in this fandom. Even I'm guilty of it now. Maybe we should pull back on ganging up on the poor kid. I mean, that's going to be impossible for me now...but still.


	4. Unity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time, we saw Adrien hooked by the Wraith. Possibly one of the more gruesome things that could ever happen. Meanwhile, Marinette received a very startling reality check to how truly demented this new realm can be.
> 
> In this chapter, things get worse. Much worse. 
> 
> ...there is always that light at the end...

Unity

_ "Be kind to one another. We're all in this together." Lost Tapes:Sujan _

* * *

 Marinette wanted to believe with every fiber of her being that what was happening was just one sick twisted dream. She wanted to. She wished to live in blissful ignorance of what the meathooks were used for in this dimension. Before now, she had never been the one hanging off one of them, and she had never met a survivor who had been stuck on one. Survivors back at the campfire had discussions about the hooks and the best way to avoid, destroy, or even attempt rescues of fellow survivors. Marinette recalled the gestures and pantomiming of their stories, but due to not speaking their native language, she thought nothing about it at the time. As she saw Adrien clutch reflexively at his shoulder after the hook slid in, his motions stopping a second later after realizing pulling himself off was futile, her heart seized as he hung there.  
  
The Wraith didn’t take long to look at his handiwork, casually glancing at the kid from top to bottom, making sure its prey was fastened securely on the metal apparatus. When it was satisfied with knowing the boy wouldn’t be escaping anytime soon, it turned to slink back off into another part of the junkyard. Two sacrifices were a decent enough effort, but the Entity’s hunger would not be sated so easily. Two more victims demanded his attention just as the other two had done. Philip Ojomo meant to keep his master pleased.  
  
Her stomach twisted and bile rose to the back of her throat at the brutal sight before her. She managed to keep it in with some effort. Not only did her throat dry and eyes begin to water, she also had a bad taste in her mouth while her throat stung. Her hands joined over her mouth, trying to keep back a cry that would give away her position while her eyes closed tightly shut. At some point, she opened her eyes just in time to witness the creature leave Adrien alone to dangle from the spot. The lanky horror walking off into the night in search of the final escaped offerings.  
  
Marinette lay there in the sudden unbearable silence of the night. Though she was slightly far away from him, Adrien made almost no sounds. Even the rushing wind from outside the brick walls were muted. The faintest sound she could pick up came from the soft squeaks the meathook made as it rocked slightly while supporting the weight of its new occupant. Marinette’s entire body ached as she removed her hands from her mouth and pushed herself slowly to her feet. The Wraith’s bell hadn’t chimed again for a while, but she knew that vile demon wouldn’t be back to the scene for a while.  
  
She sprinted up to the bottom of the hook, not caring about anything right now except the blond Parisian that needed her help. Marinette looked up at him, now that she was closer she noticed he was breathing, faint, but still breathing. That at least calmed her to a degree, as long as she continued not to think about the hellish cut he’ll have on his back. Or the presently bleeding hole he has through his shoulder, the same one she tried not to stare at for more than a second. Marinette had to get him down.  
  
  
“Adrien...Adrien!”  
  
“..ri..”  
  
He was responsive.  
  
“Adrien. Don’t worry, I...I-I’m going to get you down. You’ll be fine!”  
  
“Ma...Mari…”  
  
She figured that if she reached up and tried to lift up from his shoulders, maybe she could lift him up and off. Marinette tried several times to reach for Adrien’s shoulders, cursing each time she couldn’t quite reach due to how high he was off the ground. Standing on her tiptoes, she managed to just about grab onto the top of his arms. Marinette tried to put strength into pulling him forward. Adrien grunting as his body got jostled around slightly.  
  
She quickly realized the problem. She was too damn short! She would never be able to get enough leverage or put enough strength to pulling him straight off. Perhaps she could manage if Adrien put effort into pulling himself off. But she couldn’t ask that of him, it wasn’t like he was in much of a position to be doing anything else.  
  
Promptly giving up the grasp on his shoulders, the hook waved a little bit with the motion, Adrien giving one quiet moan as it settled back into place. Marinette’s arms wrapped around his legs instead, Putting them in a firm hold. Thinking she could get a better push from below, she tried pushing him up against the curved shape of the metal. Adrien whined louder as his shoulder ached with the motions, going against how the hook was buried in.  
  
After a few more pushes, Marinette putting in a little more effort each time, she didn’t manage to dislodge her friend at all. When the monster slammed him down onto the hook, it made sure the hold stayed tight and deep. In Marinette’s current condition, her exhaustion coupled with emotional fatigue, she was in no state to put in the herculean effort it would take to unhook him.  
  
She continued to try until her attempts were nothing more than shaking his legs as she held him by the knees. Her red eyes became irritated with the arrival of tears. Burying the side of her face against Adrien’s leg, she spoke even while her body was racked with sob after sob.  
  
“A-Adrien. Don’t worry...You’re going to make it...I’ll...I’ll get you down...I c-can. I can save you!”  
  
Her cries only continued to deepen when from the top of her vision orange embers slowly started to cascade down around them. She could see the beginnings of a thick dark trunk. The orange embers began to flutter away in the wind and were replaced with more of the trunk, slowly thinning until the embers burned out into a sharp point. Almost like a spider leg. The sounds from over her head sounded like the chittering of a spider ready to eat its catch.  
  
   
  
_‘The Entity.’_  
  
   
  
Hugging his legs even tighter, she closed her eyes, trying not to even think about whatever was threatening to take Adrien away from her. He was one of the only things good to happen to her since she arrived here. She wouldn’t let anything take him away.  
  
   
  
_OOOOOOOMMMM_  
  
   
  
The deep siren of the exit gates being powered by the generators hummed louder than the chittering whispers of the Entity. Someone had fixed enough generators and all Marinette had to do was find the exit. But…  
  
“Adrien…” Her voice was nothing but a low sob at this point.  
  
“Marin...Marinette.” Adrien rasped. “You...you have to go.”  
  
Not dropping one ounce of strength holding his legs, as if he would simply disappear if she let go, she turned her face up to meet his wincing emerald green eyes.  
  
“No! No. I’m not leaving without you, Adrien. We go together!”  
  
“Mari…even if you get me off, I’ll slow you down. You’ll never reach the gate. With me like thi-”  
  
“NO! Adrien, it’s not me or you, it’s us! I’m...I’m getting you out of here!”  
  
Adrien couldn’t stand to stare at the girl deadset on making sure he survived. Though it was something to admire, Adrien knew with the sharp legs of the Entity already formed, it could sense he was weak. His time was up. She continued her attempts blinking through her tears.  
  
“Marinette...listen to me.” The girl stopped and craned her head up, tear stained blue meeting his.  
  
“Marinette...You’ve got to get going. The gates...are probably...already open.” His raspy voice was even worse now, accompanied by a quick cough. It became hard to even speak. “You have to get going...Mari, you are amazing. If anyone...anyone survives this...it’s going to be you.”  
  
The Entity’s chittering grew into annoyed snarls. For whatever reason, the tendrils could have taken both of them, Marinette by surprise and Adrien in his weak condition, but the legs that twitched and writhed continued to stay away from them. Something about Marinette repelled them. Like, it was afraid…  
  
   
  
A lone bell chimed from far away. One chime.  
  
“Marinette. You have to go.”  
  
She heard the same bell, and though she wanted to argue, she could offer nothing more than a whisper, “Adrien?”  
  
   
  
“Marinette...be free. You can...can do this.”  
  
Two chimes, it was getting closer.  
  
   
  
“Adrien. Adrien, please…”  
  
Three chimes.  
  
“Marinette. Just...GO!”  
  
   
  
With the last bit of strength he had he shook his legs free of Marinette’s hold, pushing her back as gently as he could manage with a kick of his legs. Marinette stumbled backwards just as the Wraith came into his view. An initial swing of his weapon missing Marinette by several inches. He saved her one last time.  
  
At the same time, the spider legs of the Entity seized the moment and the first tendril stabbed straight through Adrien’s body. Marinette stared on in horror as the second leg stabbed another part of him clean through, and the final third followed. After the legs had made their incisions, Adrien’s body burned away in the same orange embers as the Wraith after becoming visible or the Entity’s legs manifesting themselves. No blood. No gore. All that was left was a silhouette of Adrien’s body. A ghost image.  
  
The second and third leg pulled away from the spirit, the first leg to stab him came from behind, taking his ghost and bringing it to the sky, which exploded with a loud roar and a flash of orange. Marinette wasn’t even given a few seconds to comprehend what she saw, before The Wraith, recovering from the failed lunge, stood back in front of her, snarling heavily in fury. She had the feeling since the exit gates powered, the Wraith had lost the one that managed to open the gates and escape. Marinette was the only one left.  
  
There would be no way to possibly run through him, she’d have to manage a wild chase around the entire wrecker yard. Ignoring her body and her mind’s protest to not push herself, she pivoted and began running in the opposite direction from the scene. The Wraith following behind her, grimly determined not to let another soul get away. Marinette’s mind focused solely on survival, though she tried not to think about the friend she just witnessed get brutalized, her mind couldn’t help replay one part that pushed her on.  
  
   
  
_‘If anyone survives this...it’s going to be you.’_  
  
   
  
Making a mad dash through the fields of scrap, she did everything she could to try stalling the pursuit while keeping an eye out for the gate to freedom. Weaving through the walls of scrap and open fields. Disappearing around corners and behind obstacles. Pulling down barricades through chokepoints and narrow passages. Her murderous hunter found a way around all of these, his near superior speed not inconveniencing him in the slightest, not like Marinette’s fatigue.  
  
She had been running for a minute before in the distance she made out a switch panel with warning lights above it. Red and glowing warm, they signaled the exit back to the campfire, the exit to freedom. With gate in sight, she summoned the last of her energy. The only thing standing between her and the gate now was one final wall. A convenient window gave her the small view of the brick corridor leading to the grey fog filled void that awaited. All she had to do was jump through one last barrier.  
  
Marinette reached the window and had her hands on the sill, ready to vault over it. Before she could throw her legs over, they gave out from under her. Surprise made her grip the sill tighter in response. At first she thought she had fell, but when she felt a tug on her leg, she looked back to find the Wraith had caught up before she could escape. For a skinny but tall figure, the Wraith had impressive strength, pulling at Marinette’s legs as she clung desperately to the last thing keeping her from safety.  
  
Marinette grunted and whined from the effort of trying to hold on. Her strength slowly fading as adrenaline managed to keep her muscles from failing outright. She tried to wiggle the ankle he firmly latched onto, only to find the uneven rhythm she lashed out at contributed to his efforts of pulling her off. Marinette’s struggles ended up doing more harm than good.  
  
Despite her fear-addled thoughts, her mind gleamed a plan from her failed attempts. Marinette waited, letting the Wraith heave two more times, waiting for the point in the rocking pulls when the monster had fully extended out. As the Wraith went back in, in order to give more strength to the grab, Marinette pulled her body in as well, getting into a bucking stance.  
  
“Get! OFF!”  
  
With momentum on her side now, Marinette delivered a harsh kick to the temples, dazing the creature again. This stunned for roughly a second and barely pushed the killer, the Wraith making another grab for Marinette’s torso this time. Combined with her petite frame and agility, she slipped through it’s long gray fingers and broke into a run for the fog. When she no longer saw the brick walls of the exit and just the long icy gray mist that went on for miles, she knew she was safe from harm. But Marinette couldn’t feel truly safe until she sat in front of the ever burning fire for the sixth morning in this place.

* * *

  
She must have ran for a few minutes now without stopping, but her mind wasn’t focused on counting. She thought next to nothing if she was honest. This last night being not just physically taxing, but also mentally as well. When fog suddenly gave way to dense forest, Marinette allowed her body to slow to a walk. Joints and muscles aching from abuse they received. From there she started a half-stumble forward.  
  
The trees made into even tighter groups before she could hear the faint yelling of voices. One angry, the other calming, but failing to pacify the angry tone that lashed back at it. Marinette came into a range where she could hear the angry voice clearly.  
  
“No! I am not going back out there if he’s going to end up joining us!”  
  
After that line, Marinette stumbled through a few obscuring bushes, coming back to the same clearing she stayed at every morning. This time she was greeted by significantly more faces than what she had been used to. All five occupants heads turned to stare at the new arrival, seeing the exhausted girl who stared back with just as much curiosity. Though it would usually be polite to greet the girl that ended up stumbling into a group of people, nobody really made a move to welcome her.  
  
The angry voice belonged to a man that looked of Asian descent, dressed in a green parka with a checkerboard plaid muffler and mud crusted jeans with protective boots. He turned back to a familiar office worker with thick glasses, striped tie, and brown work slacks. The man’s eyes shone in recognition at Marinette, realizing that she had been the foreign girl who tried to save his life, but when the angry parka guy raised his voice, his attention turned back to him. A sporty girl stood not too far off from them. Hair done in two long braided tails that dangled down her back. She wore a blue and hot pink, though the pink color had been ruined by dirt and grime, athletic zip tank top and blue leggings complete with utility pouches. She stood between Parka and Office-man, trying to get a word in when the two weren’t busy listening to themselves talk. Though every time she tried, they ended up cutting her off, the blue/white trainers on her feet stamping the ground twice in annoyance.  
  
Marinette slowly limped away from the argument, wanting not to get involved, and passed by the first log where she saw another survivor of the group sitting down. This girl had been small and quiet, not saying or doing anything since she arrived. The girl in question wore a fitted pink button-up with the sleeves rolled up her forearms, similar to the way Marinette’s blazer sleeves were rolled. Marinette noticed her left arm had been bandaged, wrapped completely around by gauze. But instead of a sloppy application, the gauze had been unrolled uniformly and where it counted. Though the bandages looked like they hadn’t been changed in a long time. Her legs were covered by comfortable looking jeans and ended in brown riding boots. The dark-skinned girl and her locked eyes for a second, Marinette noticing she too wore glasses, though the frames were blue and slimmer than Dwight’s thick rimmed ones. The girl broke contact almost immediately, shifting in place on the log and adjusting her crossed arms. Shy , Marinette quickly noted.  
  
Shuffling to the middle log, she sat on the second of the three circled around the campfire, slightly away from the shy girl to give her space. Looking around, she noticed a girl even further away from the group in the distance, pacing in circles and throwing her arms around in angered gestures. She had a gray beanie that framed a rough face, head shaved down on one side and hair thrown to the other side. The green tank top barely stuck to her skinny frame, the symbol on the front possibly promoting some band Marinette would probably be able to tell if it weren’t so dingey. Skinny jeans fit her legs while a thin silver chain hung off one of her right belt loops and draped over her hip. Marinette was able to catch her disgruntled rantings, but she didn’t understand any of it.  
  
_“Att smyga ... kunde inte se mig ... skit motorsåg …”_  
  
Perhaps that was...Swedish? Marinette wasn’t at all knowledgeable in linguistics, but it certainly sounded like the girl was of Swedish descent based off the accent and verbiage alone. She decided it would be better to leave the Swedish punk alone to cool off. Marinette had a tough time understanding anybody right now, she didn’t need to be ranted at in a language she didn’t understand. Thinking about the language barrier just now, her ears ended up accidently tuning to the argument between Parka man and...Dwight? Dwight Fairfield was his name.  
  
“Listen, Jake. I know how you feel about him. But he’s stuck in this shitty situation just as much as we are. For god sakes, the kid looks probably no more than sixteen at the most. He’s closest to Nea in age!”  
  
Jake, the angry man, didn’t give Dwight any time, nor did he pay any attention to the athletic red head at his side trying to inject herself into the verbal squabble.  
  
“I don’t give a shit, Dwight. That kid, he’s bad news. I heard about him from others and didn’t believe it at first. But after running for two nights with him, I can’t be near that scrawny blonde bastard.”  
  
Marinette had a hard time following the conversation, but she at least caught on a few key words. Sixteen? Blonde?  
  
“Don’t you think you’re over-reacting? The kid doesn’t willingly try to sabotage us. I’ve heard he’s done nothing but try to help!”  
  
“Him being around is enough! You don’t get it, Dwight! I’m fixing generators, he comes around, all of a sudden all the fuses blow on it and reset my progress. I’m trying to unhook someone, he’s waiting in the distance, all of a sudden I become prime killer bait! I’m trying to break one of those stupid bear traps we keep running into. Guess who comes along? The unlucky sunshine boy! I end up getting my arm caught in an active trap instead. We cannot keep this kid around!”  
  
“He’s right, Dwight.” The redhead athlete managed to speak up in time. “I’ve heard about what happens when he’s around. We already have a hard time surviving as it is. Nea just got torn to shreds and we barely managed to calm her down. You were at the Auto Wrecker's with this kid. Look at what happened to you too. He’s going to end up being a liability.”  
  
Dwight scoffed slightly, he was taking their views into consideration of course, but how were they just going to expel somebody from this group?  
  
“What? How will we even throw him out, Megan? That’s not a thing we can do. That’s never been a thing.”  
  
The redhead(Megan?) scoffed back, making fun of Dwight’s reaction. “Listen Fairfield, I don’t care how we do it, but we do it before the night ends. When my Track team ended up recruiting a bum player who would jeopardize our chances at the finals, guess what we did? We got rid of them. Which is what we need to do with him!”  
  
Megan pointed somewhere to the left of her. Marinette followed her gesture to a figure that had been laid down behind the third log of the fire. How did she not see that person there? Wait…  
  
Marinette didn’t look away from the figure, letting her eyes take in the top of a white overshirt leading into a black tee. Bright blue jeans that led to orange canvas shoes. Marinette’s next few breaths got caught in her throat.  
  
_‘It can’t be.’_  
  
The argument raged on, the shy girl on the log watching on passively and the Swedish punk in the corner paced less and just sulked more. Marinette herself stood up and went over to the end of the logs to confirm her suspicions. When she saw lightly swept blonde hair and a slightly pale face set in a frown, she gasped in surprise.  
  
_‘He survived!’_  
  
Marinette circled around to his side, pulling the unconscious boy’s body into her kneeling lap. None of what she was holding felt real. She saw the Entity take him, her mind looping the legs stabbing him over and over, his last screams of pain replayed endlessly no matter how much she willed her imagination to stop. His body burnt away into orange embers, no blood. Just a spectre of Adrien left behind to be taken by the Entity. A dead man shouldn’t feel real. A dead man shouldn’t be faintly breathing. A dead man can’t be here right now.  
  
And yet, Adrien Agreste managed to defile that logic. In a way, Marinette was stunned, but still happy that he was alive. She could hold him. He was still here, and if Marinette could make the sacrifice up to him, she would fight to pay it back. She bent down, pulling Adrien into a firm hug to really confirm he was here.  
  
Marinette wouldn’t let anything take him away again.  
  
During the embrace, Marinette felt Adrien stir slightly in her arms. She broke the hug and pulled back in time to notice Adrien’s eyes crack open slightly before blinking open to alertness. His first few words felt foreign on his tongue, as if someone else were saying them. Not to mention the tone at which he spoke sounded like he hadn’t slept in days. Betraying the action his body had just been doing and parting his lips, he spoke up.  
  
“Ma-rin-ette?”  
  
Her eyes lit up and she beamed down at the sleepy boy in her arms. He was alright! Her own little impossible boy.  
  
“Adrien? Adrien, I’m here. It’s me, Marinette!”  
  
Adrien shut his eyes again, wincing for a short second. She wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t used to loud noises yet, which Marinette did happen to yell what she said without considering his current condition. Or he was still in the process of waking up. But eventually his eyes opened wider, revealing more of his dull emeralds. His lips curled into a lazy smile as he stared at the elated designer.  
  
“You made it out?”  
  
Nodding her head, Adrien couldn’t help but close his eyes again and fall back into her lap, smile still wide.  
  
“Good. I did something right.”  
  
Marinette heard Adrien before he settled back into her lap to rest. She had been so excited to find her crush alive that she also forgot to scold him for being so careless and stupid. Before she could even begin to explain how reckless he’d been, the argument had swelled during their reunion.  
  
“We’re getting rid of him! Final!”  
  
Adrien’s eyes flew open as he leaned forward to sit up and see what had been happening. The arguing group didn’t know he was awake yet. Adrien’s intuition told him enough to know the debate happening right now was related to him. He knew exactly why.  
  
“Adrien?”  
  
Adrien turned to Marinette upon hearing her whisper.  
  
“What are they talking about? I’m terrible with English.”  
  
Adrien looked between Marinette and the group before letting out a sigh. It would be better to let her know now. If they want to do what he think’s they do, he might not even be around Marinette much longer.  
  
“They’re...talking about kicking me out.”  
  
“WHAT?!” Marinette’s enthusiasm surprised even him. If now was the time and place, he would think her over-reactions and mannerisms adorable. But the sobering fact of being abandoned took precedence.  
  
“This group. If this is all of us, we’re probably going to go through the next night together.” Adrien had to compose himself a bit to get through this next part, but Marinette didn’t interrupt him. She sat there just listening.  
  
“I have a reputation amongst survivors. For some reason, this ‘Entity’ think’s its really funny if wherever I go, bad things happen. The monsters chasing us every night? Turns out they have a hard time chasing me because I’m cursed with some bad luck streak. But because of that, people when they’re around me...bad things happen to them.”  
  
Marinette’s anger began to flare. They were going to kick him out for ‘bad luck’? Weak.  
  
“So, what? They want to get rid of you because of a few flukes? How shallow!”  
  
Adrien rose his voice in response, anger tinted his tone.  
  
“It’s not just a few flukes!”  
  
Marinette recoiled from the harshness of the statement. Adrien realized he was taking his anger out on the wrong person. She didn’t know. She couldn’t have known.  
  
“Marinette...bad things happen when I’m around. That’s why I ended up losing…” Adrien had a hard time finishing his sentence without choking up slightly.  
  
“Lose what?”  
  
Blinking away his oncoming tears to avoid crying, he blurted out the last part of his sentence to make sure he got the message across before possibly breaking down.  
  
“I lost people…”  
  
Adrien’s indifferent stare went toward the ground as Marinette took his confession in. She had been so alone, she knew nothing about how this place worked. Adrien knew more about how to survive, but what did he see? What did he do? How many times had he been hurt? How many times did he see others get hurt? Possibly hooked.  
  
“We’re going to have a vote. Settle this right here. For’s go toward kicking him out, oppose is letting him stay.” Jake told everyone this straight-faced. No fluff, no anger.  
  
“They’re having a vote. A vote to kick me out.” Adrien translated to Marinette. He saw the raven blue-haired girl next to him focus her attentions on the others. Watching their next moves carefully.  
  
“I vote he goes.” Jake stated, no surprises toward his stance.  
  
“I vote he goes too. It’s way too risky. We can’t afford that now.” Meg added, going to stand by Jake.  
  
Dwight shook his head in exasperation, arms falling to his side limply. “I vote he stays. You guys are crazy. We need to trust people to survive this. Not start alienating them and conducting witch hunts.”  
  
After his statement, the group fell oddly silent, waiting for the next vote that didn’t come. Eventually, Dwight turned back around to face the silent log girl.  
  
“Claudette, what do you think?”  
  
The girl in question, Claudette, threw up her previously crossed arms and shook her head. “I don’t know! I don’t like this. All this arguing will get us nowhere. I don’t even know him! How are we going to even kick him out?”  
  
Jake nor Meg gave a solid answer on how they were going to accomplish sending Adrien out to be fodder instead of stay with them at the campfire. Meg instead confronting the girl with a pushy and brisk, “What’s your choice then?”  
  
Claudette looked at everyone before crossing her arms again and staring into the fire instead. “I abstain. I can’t vote on another person’s life.”  
  
Dwight recounted the results nervously, “Ok! Two for ditching him, one against, and one abstained. W-we still got one more though.” Dwight cupped his hands to call to the sulking girl who calmed down dramatically since her pacing.  
  
“Nea!”  
  
Said girl spun around and padded slowly back to the group.  
  
“Ummm, what’s the question?”  
  
  
Jake repeated bluntly, “A vote on whether we kick that unlucky asshole out or not.”  
  
Nea turned to look at said asshole. Noticing the fact he was now awake and alert. She also took in the fact that him and his friend, the new girl who hobbled in through the forest, were watching the group intently. The Swedish tagger shifted on her legs, turning back to the group.  
  
“You mean Adrien Agreste? I recognize him. Kid is big in Europe. Male model, trust-fund baby, ‘my life is already planned for me because I’m so damn rich and wealthy’ type. We’re kicking him out?”  
  
Jake seemed to digest the information, not really taken by any ounce of star power. His backstory didn’t matter to him right now.  
  
“Okay, if we’re talking about the same ‘Adrien Agreste’ who manages to fuck up everything on a daily basis by just being near you. Yeah, we’re talking about the same kid. Nea, the boy is bad luck. He has a reputation. He killed someone!”  
  
Adrien didn’t need to be reminded of how badly he screwed up. The perfect model child with his life planned out for him wasn’t so perfect. What a load of bull.  
  
His hands went to his head, trying to cover his face in shame. The only thing keeping him grounded at this point was the hand that Marinette placed on his shoulder. If it wasn’t for her, he swore he would have floated off at this point.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah! I know about him. I hear a lot of things.” Nea pushed momentarily, shaking her head a bit before looking as if she decided on something. “You know what? Let the kid earn his keep. He may be a _rika borgerliga_ asshole, but I’m a sucker for a sob story. After all, he may be able to win us back. You guys didn’t trust me for a week until I showed you how useful I am.”  
  
Dwight’s hands went from his side to his hips, recounting the votes.  
  
“That’s two for, two against, one abstain. It’s a stalemate. Nothing will happen until Claudette changes her vote.”  
  
Claudette stood up from her wooden seat, arms crossed still.  
  
  
“And I’m not going to change my vote. Fighting and bickering won’t help us. I’m not throwing somebody I don’t know into danger. But, I don’t even know enough about him to see if I can trust him!”  
  
Adrien’s drummed his fingertips against his knees. Whatever they decided, he hoped it would be soon. He couldn’t stand listening to the argument any longer about his grand failures as a person.  
  
“Alright! If no one wants to take action, I will. We’re getting rid of him, now.”  
  
Claudette gasped, “Jake!”  
  
“Jake! We’re not any better than the killers by sending a marked man to die. That’s exactly how people like that get started. If we don’t have empathy, we’re just like the monsters!”  
  
“If we keep having empathy for him, those monsters will get us! He’s leaving!”  
  
Adrien took a deep breath and gave one more deep sigh, tearing Marinette away from the heated conversation.  
  
“Well, Marinette, nobody wants me around. I guess I’m just going to get everyone killed. If I don’t see you, I hope it’s because you made it out of here.” Adrien didn’t bother to look at Marinette, attempting to stand up so he could leave. A firm hand on his shoulder brought him back down into a sit, and he had to be surprised at Marinette’s sudden boldness.  
  
“Marinette, what-”  
  
  
“Adrien, you aren’t leaving.”  
  
Her usual soft blue eyes were replaced with a cold fire he’d never seen before. Her brow furrowed in anger and lips in a deep scowl. Where did this scorching confidence come from? He had never been good at deciphering Marinette’s feelings, but even he could tell this anger wasn’t a simple one for defending a friend. There was something deeper behind this.  
  
“W-Why? Why am I not leaving.”  
  
Marinette’s hold on Adrien’s shoulder let up, her eyes stayed firmly on the group. More specifically the asshole in the parka inciting mutiny in the first place.  
  
“Because, I’m going to tell them why.”  
  
Adrien never imagined something so cold and full of vitriol could ever have come from his kind friend. As she stood up from her kneel and bounded over to Jake, Adrien couldn’t help but feel his heart slow from the hatred that seeped from that one sentence.  
  
All it took was one second. One second for Marinette to push her way through their circle, one second for her to look up and come face-to-face with the man who thought a human life was expendable. And it took her only less than a second to start raining hell on him.  
  
“You think you have the right to sit back and decide how human lives can be wasted? Just throw him away because of a few mistakes that were completely out of his hand? You think just because you get rid of him, you’re free of any problems you had? How irresponsible can you get. You have way more important things to worry about than playing executioner. If you could devote half the effort you put into carelessly feeding lives to the god thing that has us trapped here, as you do into find a way out, we might already have left here.”  
  
The group didn’t know how to handle the small teenager’s outburst. Angry vivid French fired from her lips like a machine gun. Jake couldn’t even begin to understand a word she said. And despite his tough interior, something about the passion with which she confronted him truly shook the man. He found himself backing up the more brazen she got, poking, prodding, and even pushing his shoulder at certain points. Anyone would find a early twenties adult being scolded and intimidated by a child funny. But they haven’t experienced the ferocious end of this girl’s words.  
  
“As far as I know, we’re trapped in here together, and that means helping everyone indiscriminately! Leaving Adrien to be sacrificed to that thing in the sky won’t help anyone but you, and even if you don’t understand me, I’ll remind you every day for the rest of your life about the blood on your hands. Adrien is my friend, if you throw him out, that means I go too. You’ll have the blood of both of us on your hands. If you don’t want to take care of him, that’s fine! I’ll take care of Adrien instead!”  
  
Marinette steamed after the last declaration, although her mind wanted to berate him more, just for the petty enjoyment of watching this clown cower in front of her, she stopped. It’d only be a waste of energy anyway.  
  
The clearing got silent. Nothing was said, nobody moved, Jake stayed in a lean away from the tilted girl. Everyone else gaped in surprise. Silence.  
  
_“Knull…”_  
  
“Nea, language.”  
  
Besides, Nea and Claudette’s exchange, it took everyone a few seconds to recover. Dwight admired his new friend’s passion, but her translation left a bit to be desired. Turning to Adrien, Dwight looked at him weakly and asked in place of Jake.  
  
“Um...Mind translating that?”  
  
Adrien himself was included in the group disturbance. Mouth open at this fierce version of his friend fighting on his behalf. He knew the baker’s daughter was absolutely no pushover, but to have scared what appeared to be a rugged outdoorsman in his early 20’s to the point of cowering? Adrien partially wanted to recall where he’d seen this fearless attitude before. Only to be taken back by her last sentence.  
  
_‘Take care of me? Marinette?’_  
  
It wasn’t a thought born out of skepticism, the fact the girl would take his side and promise to be with him until they found a way out made him flush something fierce. Dwight’s request brought him back to reality. Realizing he was the only one out of the two with the actual skills to communicate with his English dominate audience, he’d have to be the translator of the pair. Sitting up and walking over to Marinette, he laid a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling the fuming girl away from Jake before she tried something physical this time.  
  
“What she was saying is, if you kick me out, she’ll go to. We’re a combo deal. If Jake doesn’t want me in the group, she takes care of me.”  
  
The group wasn’t sure how to take this. Meg shifted back and forth nervously, not expecting the formerly quiet new addition to the group to take such a dedicated stance. Jake looked between the two, although he knew better than to cross Marinette again, standing away from her. Nea and Claudette remained silent since their exchange. Dwight, awkward as he was, whistled high and clapped his hands together, trying to break the tension  
  
“Alright...that was...powerful? I guess? Probably would’ve been better if we knew French, am I right?”  
  
If anyone heard Dwight, they chose to not recognize him. Alongside the figurative crickets, he swore he heard literal crickets in the distance.  
  
“Okay! Alright. Well, it looks like if we’re all going to be a group, this…” Dwight motioned to Adrien, completely at a loss to who the hell she was.  
  
“-Marinette.”  
  
“-this mademoiselle Marinette deserves her own vote too. And considering how Adrien translated it for us, she sounds very strongly against kicking him out. Three to two. Adrien is staying.”  
  
Jake held a hand up, wanting to get another argument in about this sudden development. Either out of fear or exasperation, he held his tongue, choosing to fix their new team members with a cold stare. He pointed at Adrien before continuing.  
  
“He stays. Alright, he stays.” Even though he pointed at Adrien, his words seemed directed toward Marinette. “Hell, if he proves me wrong, I’ll be man enough to admit I’m wrong and apologize. But if he messes up again, he’s out.”  
  
Jake dropped his arm, satisfied with ending his conditions there and moving away to join the others by the fire, the rest doing the same. Adrien followed Jake with his stare all the way to his seat on the ground. After, he turned to Marinette, placing his other hand on her unoccupied shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.  
  
“Marinette.”  
  
It took a bit for her to fully return, only realizing the blind rage she threw until the blonde model held her attention again. With a sigh, she tried to start an apology.  
  
“I’m really sorry, Adrien. It’s just, when you said they wanted to kick you out, I just got so angry-”  
  
Marinette was cut off by a tight hug. Adrien leaning forward with his arms wrapped around her small frame across her upper back. He was absolutely still, making the hug more personal as he tried to keep it firm. She had very nearly been gone mentally when she came to the realization of what was happening.  
  
Adrien. Hugging. Her. Close. Smells like dirt….and perfume? He’s sure breathing a lot. Is he going to cry again?  
  
Taking mental inventory, her rational thought had to claw it’s way back to the surface. Responding to his sudden hug with her own arms wrapping around his neck.  
  
“Thank you, Marinette. Thank you.” Adrien’s voice whispered low. Marinette chose not to respond back, instead she tried to tighten her hold on him as well. This boy had been through so much torture tonight, he deserved all the care and understanding she could muster.  
  
When they separated, Marinette noted that it had been far too early. Though she did lose count, for all she know they stayed like that for minutes. Either way, Adrien separated from her, needy green eyes meeting stunned vivid blue again.  
  
“Maybe we should go sit by the fire and relax. We have a bit of time before night comes.”  
  
Warm, raw kindness Adrien was used to flooded her being once more. Marinette nodding once and offering a shy smile. Adrien took her delicate hand in his again, walking her the few steps to the fire to sit in the half-circle with the others. Jake, Meg, and Nea were either busy fiddling with something on their outfits or staring off into the fire, lost to the world. Dwight and Claudette were really the only ones to notice the two come sit down. Claudette offering a quick sideways glance. Dwight had been more thorough, looking down at their connected hands before glancing quickly back up and then acting as if he saw nothing.  
  
Marinette and Adrien mirrored Jake, not sitting on the log, but on the ground leaning their backs against it. They joined the others in the quiet after their loud disruptive argument, listening to the crackles of the strange everlasting fire and the far off sounds of woodland creatures.  
  
Dwight hated the silence more than the chaotic rush of the night’s hunts. Instead of letting them sit and stagnate, he cleared his throat and looked toward their new additions.  
  
“So...Marinette and, Adrien, was it? How did you guys end up here, what’s your story?”  
  
Though they were enjoying the peace and quiet, the others all turned to face Dwight, the spectacled man choosing to avoid their gaze. They then turned toward the two kids, deciding that if they couldn’t have peace and calm to sit and think, the least they could do is learn of the two Parisian kids they decided to adopt.  
  
Marinette and Adrien looked at the group and then at each other. Adrien quickly translating to Marinette that they wanted to know their background. She nodded a few times and tenderly nudged his side with her elbow. Adrien looked back to the others and licked his lips before recounting their completely legitimate ‘stories’.  
  
   
  
“Well…”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme just extend a quick apology to any people who happen to know/speak Swedish. I literally just put Nea's sentences I wanted to be in Swedish through Google Translate. So, if I got anything wrong, please feel free to message me. Everybody's favorite Punk Tagger needs to be accurate and on point.
> 
> I wanted to write them in with the Dead By Daylight characters because I figured in the realms of the game that the Entity keeps throwing these 5(6 if you count Laurie Strode from the 'Halloween' DLC) together all the time. Maybe they're his favorite playthings? It certainly seems like it. Plus, it gives Adrien and Marinette more interaction with the world. Don't get me wrong, if I could write this fic based around those two alone, I would. But it would get boring having only those two in peril. They need others to work off of. Make it interesting.
> 
> The Dead By Daylight cast is kind of hard to write for unless you take into account their looks, short 2 paragraph exposition blurbs about them, and the flavor text on their perks. So, Dwight is a good leader from his professional pencil pusher job, but painfully awkward and nerdy. (Think Ladybug if Marinette is never confident...Dwight would have made a terrible Ladybug...) Jake is rough and standoffish, but genuinely a good person behind that shell. Meg is blunt, very blunt, but her rambunctious nature makes her a supportive friend and jokester. Just don't expect her to pull punches. Claudette, in her backstory blurb, is pure distilled introvert. But you kinda can't not avoid contact with people as the team medical-mom. And Nea is pure REBEL! Basically Meg, except friendly and rude for the sake of being rude.
> 
> Either way, the group is together, and Marinette and Adrien have a new goal for the night. Prove themselves.


End file.
